#RiseUpOctober wraps up in NYC with massive rally against police brutality

Thousands of demonstrators marched through Manhattan in New York City on Saturday as part of the ‘Rise Up October’ campaign, which protested police brutality across the country. A number of arrests have been made, according to reports.

The rally’s participants proceeded from Washington Square Park to Bryant Park in New York City on Saturday afternoon. The protesters demanded changes to policing practices unfairly targeting black and Latino men, and condemned police-involved deaths and the militarized style of law enforcement that has become prevalent in the US as of late.

The website for the event said the march had been “peaceful and determined.” However, there were reports of police clashing with protesters and a number of arrests being made. The exact number of people detained is still unclear.

Some of the demonstrators at the march had lost family members to police brutality.

“This is a big progress. This is just amazing to me and I hope we will organize more rallies in honor of all victims of police brutality,” said Precious Edwards, who came to New York from Chicago. “I hope that everyone, not only black and brown people, but purple or blue people, everybody stands up.”

The three-day protest began on Thursday morning with a Say Their Names rally. Hundreds gathered in midtown Manhattan to hear relatives talk about loved ones who had been killed by police officers over the past several years.

The number of protests against police brutality has surged in the US since the deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Freddie Gray. Massive outrage has driven state lawmakers to pass dozens of police reform measures. However, activists are still calling for more concrete changes.

Some of the new measures being introduced include police being required to wear body cameras, limits on military equipment for use by law enforcement, racial-bias awareness training for law officers, and independent investigations into police brutality and killings.